Tray with baby food jar holder

ABSTRACT

A tray includes a plate formed to include ajar receiver and a food receptacle arranged to lie in side-by-side relation to the food receptacle.

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/645,057, filed Jan. 19, 2005, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to juvenile feeding apparatus, and particularly to juvenile feeding trays. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to holders for baby food jars.

SUMMARY

A tray comprises a plate formed to include a jar receiver and a food receptacle arranged to lie in side-by-side relation to the food receptacle. The jar receiver is formed to include means for retaining an opened baby food jar in fixed relation to the plate to position an open mouth of the jar in alignment and communication with a first opening formed in the plate.

In the illustrated embodiment, the jar receiver includes a cylindrical ring appended to an underside of the plate and aligned with the first opening formed in the plate. Internal threads formed on the cylindrical ring are configured to mate with external threads provided around the open mouth of the jar and configured to mate with ajar lid to support the baby food jar in the jar receiver.

Also in the illustrated embodiment, the food receptacle is arranged to extend downwardly from the plate so that a top opening of the food receptacle lies alongside the first opening into a baby food jar retained in the jar receiver. During feeding a caregiver can scoop food from the baby food jar through the first opening in the plate and place it in a “staging zone” defined by the food receptacle before it is fed to a hungry child.

Also in the illustrated embodiment, one portion of the plate is formed to provide a handgrip. The jar receiver is arranged to lie between the handgrip and the food receptacle. A perimeter edge of the plate extends around the jar receiver and the food receptacle and mates with a lid sized to cover the two openings formed in the plate.

Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly relates to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective assembly view showing a lid carrying a spoon mounted on a tray formed to include a food receptacle depending from a plate underlying the lid and showing an unopened baby food jar under the plate;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tray of FIG. 1 showing the baby food jar aligned with a first opening formed in the plate and mated with ajar receiver that is arranged to lie between a handgrip located at a left end of the plate and showing a food receptacle located at a right end of the plate; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing mating engagement of the jar receiver and the opened baby food jar and suggesting transfer of food from the jar into the food receptacle before delivery of that food to a hungry child.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A tray 10 formed to include a food receptacle 12 and covered by a lid 14 is shown in FIG. 1. Tray 10 is configured to hold an opened baby food jar 16 alongside food receptacle 12 in the manner suggested in FIGS. 2 and 3 after removal of a lid 18 from baby food jar 16.

Tray 10 includes a plate 20 having top and bottom surfaces 21, 22 bounded by a perimeter rim 24 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Plate 20 is formed to include a first opening 23 sized to provide access into baby food jar 16 when jar 16 is coupled to tray 10. Lid 14 is configured to mate with perimeter rim 24 to cover top surface 21 of plate 20.

Food receptacle 12 includes a continuous side wall 26 appended to bottom surface 22 of plate 20 and arranged to border a D-shaped opening 28 formed at a right end of plate 20. Food receptacle 12 also includes a floor 30 appended to side wall 26.

Tray 10 also includes a jar receiver 32 depending from bottom surface 22 of the plate and lying in alignment with the round first opening 23 formed in plate 20 as shown best in FIG. 3. In the illustrated embodiment, jar receiver 32 is a cylindrical ring formed to include internal threads 36 configured to mate with external threads provided on baby food jar 16.

In the illustrated embodiment, a grip portion 38 made of a soft material is overmolded onto a left end of plate 20 to form a handgrip. Jar receiver 32 is arranged to lie between handgrip 38 and food receptacle 12 as shown best in FIG. 3.

In use, food 40 can be transferred using a utensil (e.g., spoon 42 in FIG. 1) carried, for example, on lid 14 from an interior region 44 of baby food jar 16 along arrow 101 into a “staging region” defined by interior region 46 of food receptacle 12. In the illustrated embodiment, a “scooped-out” inclined channel 48 is formed in top surface 21 of plate 20 in a location between openings 34 and 28 to catch and conduct “spilled” food into interior region 46 of food receptacle 12. Then food 50 can be removed from interior region 46 of food receptacle 12 and fed to a hungry child as suggested by arrow 102. Any food 50 that is not eaten by a child and is returned to tray 10 by spoon 42 (as suggested by arrow 103) will be located in food receptacle 12 and can be discarded at the end of mealtime in a sanitary manner. This uneaten food 103 will not be returned to baby food jar 16. 

1. A juvenile feeding tray comprising a plate formed to include ajar receiver and a food receptacle arranged to lie in side-by-side relation to the food receptacle, the jar receiver being formed to include means for retaining an opened baby food jar in fixed relation to the plate to position an open mouth of the jar in alignment and communication with a first opening formed in the plate. 